User Manual - Ruwido

A Survival Guide for Developing Country Climate NegotiatorsForewordThe one hundred pages of this book are in fact a useful Survival Guide forthose approaching climate change negotiations for the first time. It has beenwritten for developing country delegates, but delegates from other countriescan also profit from its reading the same way that a similar survival guide forindustrialized country delegates would be useful for those coming from developingcountries, because it is necessary to know both sides of the story.Personal conditions are needed to negotiate and not all qualities described atthe beginning of Part II can be acquired, some of them are congenital.However the best natural conditions are insufficient if information is lackingand this book is an excellent summary of information and at the same time afirst class guide to get further and deeper data. Information however, is a continuousflow and delegates need to be up dated also continuously. Ideas appearand evolve during meetings and between meetings, “interest grouping” and“sub grouping” is a permanent exercise and some that seemed relevant beforecould disappear or become out of context in a short time.In a large number of cases, developing country negotiators work in “single person”delegations and that is difficult and tiring, but having colleagues in thedelegation, all information has to be shared with all of them. The strength ofa team is that of its weaker member.It is always a must to know and understand the other party’s position. Behindstated positions lies a domestic, regional and international background ofpolitical, economic and social circumstances, which are needed to guess theother party’s bottom line.Negotiators should analyze controversies and explore the possibility of disentanglingcontentious issues looking for new, better and perhaps commonapproaches to existing problems. Becoming hostage of a “zero sum” situationhas to be avoided always and it’s usually possible to add a new element, and ifnecessary, to create a negotiating package. If a party becomes a net loser in thearrangement, the agreement will neither be stable nor reliable.Of course I can’t say that I agree with all and every line in this book, but Istrongly recommend its reading. It was written in the fairest possible way butit necessarily includes a perspective because its authors are human beings. Imyself would not be able to produce a perfectly objective piece.v